Yoga

Reverse Osteoporotic Bone Loss with Yoga

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Yoga’s emphasis on strength-building, balance and alignment can help people with osteoporosis avoid injury. Low-impact weight-bearing yoga poses stimulate bone growth to build stronger bones. Standing poses can build strength in your hips, an area commonly affected by osteoporosis. Light back-bending back extension poses decompress the vertebrae and build spinal strength.” – Kristin Shea

 

Bone is living tissue that, like all living tissues, is constantly being broken down and replaced. Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the removal of old bone. This results in a loss of bone mass, causing bones to become weak and brittle. It can become so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses like bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. These fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine. Osteoporosis, particularly in its early stages, is difficult to diagnosis as there are typically no symptoms of bone loss. But once bones have been weakened, signs and symptoms may include: back pain, caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra, loss of height over time, a stooped posture, or a bone fracture that occurs much more easily than expected.

 

Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide; approximately 10% of women aged 60, 20% of women aged 70, 40% of women aged 80 and 70% of women aged 90. In the United States 54 million adults over 50 are affected by osteoporosis and low bone mass; 16% of women and 4% of men. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, including 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over age 50. Most fractures occur in postmenopausal women and elderly men. Osteoporosis takes a huge personal and economic toll. The disability due to osteoporosis is greater than that caused by cancers and is comparable or greater than that lost to a variety of chronic diseases, such as arthritis, asthma and high blood pressure related heart disease.

 

The most common treatments for osteoporosis are drugs which slow down the breakdown of bone, combined with exercise. The side effects of the drugs are mild, including upset stomach and heartburn. But, there is a major compliance problem as the drugs must be taken over very long periods of time. In fact, only about a third of patients continue to take their medications for at least a year. Even when drugs are taken, exercise is recommended to improve bone growth.

 

Yoga is a relatively gentle low-cost exercise that can be adjusted to the capabilities of elderly individuals. “By pitting one group of muscles against another, yoga exposes bones to greater forces and, therefore, might enhance bone mineral density more than other means.” So, it would seem reasonable to suspect that yoga practice might be effective in the treatment of osteoporosis. In today’s Research News article “Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1281868151837108/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851231/

Lu and colleagues recruited participants over the internet who had recent bone density measures and were willing to practice yoga for 12 minutes per day. Only participants who complied and practiced yoga at least every other day were included in the final sample. In the four years prior to the study the participants lost bone density with an average loss per month of −0.0036 g/cm2 for the spine, −0.00008 g/cm2 for the hips, and −0.009 for the femora and 109 bone fractures were reported. After practicing yoga for two years the participants increased bone density with an average gain per month of 0.048, 0.088, and 0.0003 g/cm2, for spine, hips, and femora and only 19 bone fractures were reported.

 

These are exciting results and suggest that the practice of yoga has long-term benefits for bone health. These results suggest that osteoporotic bone loss can be reversed with yoga. The people studied were from all over the world, making the results highly generalizable to disparate populations. Also, yoga practice has many additional benefits for psychological and physical health and it is safe, low-cost, and can be adapted for individuals at varying ages and physical conditions.

 

Hence, practice yoga for bone health.

 

”yoga poses, have improved bone strength and mineral density significantly. . . .They showed a dramatic rise in the bone mineral density of those that practiced yoga. The people that did not do any yoga had the expected modest fall in their bone mineral density.” – Lauren Fishman

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Lu, Y.-H., Rosner, B., Chang, G., & Fishman, L. M. (2016). Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 32(2), 81–87. http://doi.org/10.1097/TGR.0000000000000085

 

Abstract

Objective:

Assess the effectiveness of selected yoga postures in raising bone mineral density (BMD).

Methods:

Ten-year study of 741 Internet-recruited volunteers comparing preyoga BMD changes with postyoga BMD changes.

Outcome Measures:

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometric scans. Optional radiographs of hips and spine and bone quality study (7 Tesla).

Results:

Bone mineral density improved in spine, hips, and femur of the 227 moderately and fully compliant patients. Monthly gain in BMD was significant in spine (0.0029 g/cm2, P = .005) and femur (0.00022 g/cm2, P = .053), but in 1 cohort, although mean gain in hip BMD was 50%, large individual differences raised the confidence interval and the gain was not significant for total hip (0.000357 g/cm2). No yoga-related serious injuries were imaged or reported. Bone quality appeared qualitatively improved in yoga practitioners.

Conclusion:

Yoga appears to raise BMD in the spine and the femur safely.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851231/

 

Get out of the Dumps with Yoga

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1 depression_obsessive_compulsive1

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“One of the chapters in my life included a 10-year bout with deep depression. This depression became compounded when I was confronted with loss and grief. I took antidepressants of varying kinds for many years and attempted talk therapy. For me, none of these approaches worked. It was only when I began practicing yoga that I started to see and feel concrete, sustained shifts in my mental patterns, emotions, and internal state of being.” – Monique Minahan

 

Clinically diagnosed depression is the most common mental illness, affecting over 6% of the population. In general, it involves feelings of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness, irritability or frustration, loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, sleep disturbances, tiredness and lack of energy, anxiety, agitation, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that aren’t your responsibility, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide. Needless to say individuals with depression are miserable.

 

Depression appears to be the result of a change in the nervous system that can generally only be reached with drugs that alter the affected neurochemical systems. But, depression can be difficult to treat. Of patients treated initially with drugs only about a third attained remission of the depression. After repeated and varied treatments including drugs, therapy, exercise etc. only about two thirds of patients attained remission. In, addition, drugs often have troubling side effects and can lose effectiveness over time. In addition, many patients who achieve remission have relapses and recurrences of the depression. So, it is important to investigate alternative treatments for depression.

 

There are some alternative activities that can be helpful for depression. Regular exercise can improve mood in people with mild to moderate depression. It also may play a supporting role in treating severe depression. Mindful meditation training including yoga practices have also been shown to be viable alternative treatments for depression. They have been shown to be an effective treatment for active depression and for the prevention of its recurrence. They can even be effective in cases where drugs fail. In addition, the combination of exercise with meditation has been shown to be effective for treating depression.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-based yoga intervention for women with depression.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1278994708791119/?type=3&theater

or below, Schuver and Lewis investigate the relative effectiveness of yoga and walking exercise for the treatment of depression. They randomly assigned depressed women to either a 12-week mindfulness based yoga practice or walking exercise. Both treatments were practiced twice a week for 65 minutes for 12 weeks. Measurements of depression and rumination were taken before and after treatment and one-month after the completion of the 12-week practice period.

 

They found that both treatments produced significant decreases (34% and 38% respectively) in depression that were maintained at follow-up. Both groups also showed significant decreases in rumination but, the yoga group had a significantly greater decrease (30%) than the walking group (19%) at the end of treatment. But, by the one-month follow-up there were no significant differences between the groups. Hence, both treatments successfully improved depression and rumination in the depressed women.

 

So, it appears that exercise, regardless of whether it’s in the form of yoga or walking relieves depression. In practice, however, depressed people lack energy and it can be quite challenging for them to initiate or keep up an exercise practice. The current study employed a home yoga practice. It is possible that a yoga practice in a group would be more enjoyable and promote adherence to the exercise. More research is needed to investigate this conjecture.

 

Regardless it is clear that you can get out of the dumps with yoga.

 

“Yoga gives us an active role in healing. And by slowing down mental chatter through breath work, it helps facilitate self-acceptance. In other words, through practicing yoga, we become quieter and more grounded. Yoga can help perfectionists as well as those who tend to be self-critical or lack self-confidence.” – Janeen Locker.

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Schuver KJ, Lewis BA. Mindfulness-based yoga intervention for women with depression. Complement Ther Med. 2016 Jun;26:85-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.03.003. Epub 2016 Mar 14.

 

Highlights

  • Efficacy of a 12-week yoga intervention, in comparison to a walking group, on mood and rumination among depressed women.
  • Participants in both groups demonstrated similar decreases in depressive symptoms from baseline to post-intervention.
  • The yoga condition reported significantly lower levels of rumination than the walking group at post-intervention.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a 12-week mindfulness-based yoga intervention on depressive symptoms and rumination among depressed women.

DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled 12 week intervention pilot study. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and one-month follow-up.

SETTING: Women with a history of diagnosed depression and currently depressed were randomized to a mindfulness-based yoga condition or a walking control.

INTERVENTIONS: The mindfulness-based yoga intervention consisted of a home-based yoga asana, pranayama and meditation practice with mindfulness education sessions delivered over the telephone. The walking control condition consisted of home-based walking sessions and health education sessions delivered over the phone.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS).

RESULTS: Both groups reported decreases in depressive symptoms from baseline to post-intervention, f(1,33)=34.83, p<0.001, and from baseline to one-month follow-up, f(1,33)=37.01, p<0.001. After controlling for baseline, there were no significant between group differences on depression scores at post-intervention and the one-month follow-up assessment. The mindfulness-based yoga condition reported significantly lower levels of rumination than the control condition at post-intervention, after controlling for baseline levels of rumination, f(1,31)=6.23, p<0.01.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that mindfulness-based yoga may provide tools to manage ruminative thoughts among women with elevated depressive symptoms. Future studies, with larger samples are needed to address the effect of yoga on depression and further explore the impact on rumination.

 

Improve Psychological Well Being with Commitment to Yoga Practice

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“A common factor in the healing effect of yoga for all of these issues is its ability to develop increased awareness of the body and its inner sensations- called “interoception”–which is central to emotion awareness and emotion regulation and to self-regulation in general.” – Frank Schwoeri

 

Therapists have known for years that in order for therapy to be effective, the client must be committed to the therapy. In fact, many argue that fees are necessary in order to insure that the individual is fully committed to the therapeutic process. Yoga practice has been shown to be beneficial for the physical, psychological, spiritual, and medical health of the individual and has been suggested to be a therapy for deficiencies in these realms. It would seem reasonable, then, to hypothesize that the effectiveness of yoga practice would be related to the degree of commitment that the individual has to the practice.

 

In today’s Research News article “The relationship between yoga involvement, mindfulness and psychological well-being.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1274178485939408/?type=3&theater

or below, Gaiswinkler and Unterrainer performed an on-line recruitment of yoga practitioners and a comparison group of practitioners of a variety of gym based exercises including aerobics, pilates, etc. They measured mindfulness, psychiatric symptoms, and spiritual well-beingThey also measured yoga immersion with a 10-question scale containing questions like “The wisdom of yoga affects my way of seeing things in everyday life” or “By practicing yoga I can concentrate better.”

 

They found, not surprisingly, that yoga immersion was highly related to the duration and frequency of yoga practice. In addition, the higher the yoga immersion the higher the scores on mindfulness, and spiritual well-being and the lower the scores on psychiatric symptoms. Comparing the yoga practitioners at different levels of immersion to the control exercise group revealed that the highly immersed yoga practitioners were significantly higher in mindfulness and spiritual well-being, including forgiveness, hope, meaning, and connectedness. They were also significantly lower in psychiatric symptoms including depression, anxiety, and somatization (bodily symptoms).

 

These results suggest that commitment to yoga is important for the psychological and spiritual well-being of the practitioner. It should be kept in mind, however, that the study was correlational which does not allow for a causal conclusion. It is possible that the types of people who become committed to yoga practice are also the people who have high levels of psychological and spiritual well-being, or that being psychologically and spiritually healthy allows the individual to deeply immerse themselves in yoga practice. In addition, since immersion in yoga was highly correlated with the amount of practice, the significant variable might have been the amount of practice and not the commitment. After all, it would be expected that the more the individual practiced the greater the effectiveness of the practice. It should also be noted that the control, exercise, group were not similarly measured for commitment to their exercise. So, it was not possible to determine if commitment per se was important or that it was specific to yoga practice. Hence, the results are promising, but further research is necessary to elucidate the nature of the connection of immersion in yoga to its benefits.

 

“Yoga is thought of by many as a way of life. It is practiced not only for stress management but also for good physical and mental health and to live in a more meaningful way. Yoga is a system of healing and self-transformation based in wholeness and unity. The word yoga itself means to “yoke” — to bring together. It aims to integrate the diverse processes with which we understand the world and ourselves. It touches the physical, psychological, spiritual, and mental realms that we inhabit. Yoga recognizes that without integration of these, spiritual freedom and awareness, or what the yogis call “liberation,” cannot occur.” – Mahjabeen Hassan

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Gaiswinkler L, Unterrainer HF. The relationship between yoga involvement, mindfulness and psychological well-being. Complement Ther Med. 2016 Jun;26:123-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.03.011. Epub 2016 Mar 17.

 

Highlights

  • Newly developed Yoga Immersion scale reliably measures the amount of yoga involvement.
  • Individuals highly involved in yoga practice exhibit reduced mood pathology.
  • Enhanced yoga involvement is linked with increased mindfulness and spirituality.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine how different levels of yoga involvement are related to different parameters of mental health and illness.

Design and setting: A total sample of 455 participants (410 females) were investigated by means of an internet survey. 362 yoga practitioners (327 females) rated their degree of yoga involvement on the Yoga Immersion Scale. A control group was comprised of 93 gymnastics practitioners (83 females).

Main outcome measures: All participants completed the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, the Freiburger Mindfulness Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory for psychiatric symptoms.

Results: Highly involved yoga practitioners exhibited a significantly increased amount of mindfulness and religious/spiritual well-being (both p < 0.01) and lower psychiatric symptoms such as depression (p < 0.01) compared to those who were only marginally/moderately yoga-involved or who were in the gymnastics control group.

Conclusions: In accordance with the literature, yoga practice might have its biggest impact on mental health when it is part of a practitioner’s worldview. Further research focusing on the impact of yoga involvement in clinical groups is encouraged.

 

Improve COPD with Yoga

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“I am 63 years old. Ten years ago I was diagnosed with emphysema. Emphysema is a progressive disease that increasingly damages the lung structure and impairs the lung function. However, I am pleased to say that my lung function has essentially remained unchanged from the day I was first tested. Credit for this “miracle” primarily goes to nine years of almost daily practice of yoga.” – Vijai Sharma

 

Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) are progressive lung diseases that obstruct airflow. The two main types of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is very serious being the third leading cause of death in the United States, over 140,000 deaths per year. More than 11 million people have been diagnosed with COPD, but an estimated 24 million may have the disease without even knowing it. COPD causes serious long-term disability and early death. Symptoms develop slowly. Over time, COPD can interfere with the performance of routine tasks and is thus a major cause of disability in the United States. The most common cause of COPD is smoking. COPD also occurs with miners and is called black lung disease which has symptoms and progression very similar to cigarette smoking. COPD is not contagious. Most of the time, treatment can ease symptoms and slow progression. At this time the number of people dying from COPD is growing.

 

COPD has no cure yet. However, lifestyle changes and treatments can help you feel better, stay more active, and slow the progress of the disease. COPD treatments include lifestyle changes, medicine, bronchodilators, steroids, pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and surgery. They all attempt to relieve symptoms, slow the progress of the disease, improve exercise tolerance, prevent and treat complications, and improve overall health. Yoga practice would seem to be a useful lifestyle change that could improve COPD symptoms as it has been shown to improve exercise tolerance and overall health and includes breathing exercises.

 

In today’s Research News article “A randomized controlled study on assessment of health status, depression, and anxiety in coal miners with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following yoga training.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1269208726436384/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2016;volume=9;issue=2;spage=137;epage=144;aulast=Ranjita

Ranjita and colleagues recruited adult non-smoking coal miners who had been diagnosed with COPD. They were randomly assigned to a yoga practice or a wait-list control condition. yoga training consisted of a set of integrated yoga practices adapted for COPD. Yoga was practiced for 90 min daily, 6 days/week for 12 weeks. The control group simply continued conventional therapy. The miners were assessed before and after the 12-weeks of treatment for COPD effects on health and well-being, depression, and anxiety. They found that yoga practice, compared to the wait-list control condition, had a significant, 23%, improvement in overall health, 26% reduction in depression, and a 16% reduction in anxiety. These are impressive findings and suggest that yoga practice is an effective means to improve the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).

 

There are a number of ways that yoga practice may improve COPD symptoms. Firstly, it is a mild exercise involving breathing exercises that may directly assist lung function. Secondly, yoga practice is known to reduce the psychological and physiological responses to stress, making the miners less reactive to their stressful disease. Thirdly, yoga practice has been shown to generally improve emotion regulation and reduce depression and anxiety. And finally, by promotion of present moment awareness, yoga practice may reduce the worry and catastrophizing that is characteristic of sufferers from chronic diseases. It remains for future research to pinpoint the mechanism(s) for the effectiveness of yoga practice in treating the symptoms of COPD.

 

Regardless, improve COPD with yoga.

 

“We found that yoga can be a simple, cost-effective method that can help improve quality of life in patients with COPD” – Randeep Guleria

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Ranjita R, Badhai S, Hankey A, Nagendra HR. A randomized controlled study on assessment of health status, depression, and anxiety in coal miners with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following yoga training. Int J Yoga 2016;9:137-44

 

Abstract
Context: Psychological comorbidities are prevalent in coal miners with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and contribute to the severity of the disease reducing their health status. Yoga has been shown to alleviate depression and anxiety associated with other chronic diseases but in COPD not been fully investigated.
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the role of yoga on health status, depression, and anxiety in coal miners with COPD.
Materials and Methods: This was a randomized trial with two study arms (yoga and control), which enrolled 81 coal miners, ranging from 36 to 60 years with stage II and III stable COPD. Both groups were either on conventional treatment or combination of conventional care with yoga program for 12 weeks.
Results: Data were collected through standardized questionnaires; COPD Assessment Test, Beck Depression Inventory and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory at the beginning and the end of the intervention. The yoga group showed statistically significant (P < 0.001) improvements on all scales within the group, all significantly different (P < 0.001) from changes observed in the controls. No significant prepost changes were observed in the control group (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Yoga program led to greater improvement in physical and mental health status than did conventional care. Yoga seems to be a safe, feasible, and effective treatment for patients with COPD. There is a need to conduct more comprehensive, high-quality, evidence-based studies to shed light on the current understanding of the efficacy of yoga in these chronic conditions and identify unanswered questions.

http://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2016;volume=9;issue=2;spage=137;epage=144;aulast=Ranjita

Improve Low Back Pain with Yoga

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Achy back? Give yoga a go. Multiple studies have shown the power of the ancient practice, which emphasizes stretching, strength, and flexibility, to relieve back soreness. In fact, several studies have found that yoga can even trump usual care for back pain when it comes to improving back function.” –  Annie Hauser

 

Acute pain in all forms is a signal that there is something wrong that needs immediate attention. Chronic pain, on the other hand signals the presence of physical issues that are more difficult to address. Chronic pain is particularly difficult as it is not only a torment but is highly disruptive to the sufferer’s life, decreasing the ability to engage in everyday activities and lowering the quality of life. One source of chronic pain, low back pain, is ubiquitous. It is estimated that 80% of the population will experience back pain sometime during their lives. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and affects between 6% to 15% of the population.

 

There are varied treatments for low back pain including chiropractic care, acupuncture, biofeedback, physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, massage, surgery, opiate pain killing drugs, steroid injections, and muscle relaxant drugs. The therapies are sometimes effective particularly for acute back pain. But, for chronic conditions the treatments are less effective and often require continuing treatment for years. Obviously, there is a need for effective treatments for low back pain that are low cost and don’t have troublesome side effects.

 

Mindfulness training has shown promise in the treatment of a variety of pain conditions, including low back pain.  Yoga practice is both a physical and a mindfulness training that under supervised conditions is effective for a variety of physical and psychological conditions, especially musculoskeletal problems including low back pain. There have been a variety of studies of the application of yoga for low back pain but they are highly variable in technique, postures employed, included components of practice, patient groups, and follow-up. So, there is a need for a rigorous review and summarization of these studies to ascertain the overall effectiveness of yoga practice for low back pain.

 

In today’s Research News article “Yoga as a treatment for chronic low back pain: A systematic review of the literature.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1265126300177960/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4878447/

Chang and colleagues review and summarize the published research on the application of yoga practice for low back pain. They found that the literature provides documented, scientific, controlled evidence that supports the conclusion that yoga practice when properly administered reduces pain and disability in patients with chronic low back pain. In addition, since postures once learned can be practiced at home, yoga provides a more cost effective long-term for back pain than physical therapy, spinal manipulation, physical therapy, and acupuncture.

 

These results are very promising and suggest that yoga practice is an excellent treatment for low back pain. Yoga, however, is not without risks. Back pain can be exacerbated and even disc herniation is possible. So, it is important that, at least in its initial stages, yoga practice be administered and supervised by a knowledgeable certified professional. It is important to also recognize that yoga practice has many psychological, physical, and spiritual benefits beyond relief of low back pain. So, yoga should not be evaluated with only one physical issue in mind, but should be looked upon as not only relieving symptoms but also having holistic benefits, improving the practitioner’s health and well-being.

 

So, improve low back pain with yoga.

 

“An estimated 84 percent of people may experience low back pain. If you’ve ever felt it yourself, you know that the most basic, daily movements can be challenging. Suddenly sitting, standing, and bending seem like advanced yoga postures. Back pain is actually one of the most common reasons that people visit the doctor. Fortunately, new studies are supporting yoga’s efficacy and many individuals are turning to the practice for help.” – Jennifer Carter Avgerinos

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Chang, D. G., Holt, J. A., Sklar, M., & Groessl, E. J. (2016). Yoga as a treatment for chronic low back pain: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Orthopedics & Rheumatology, 3(1), 1–8.

 

Abstract

Objectives: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) affects millions of people worldwide, and appears to be increasing in prevalence. It is associated not only with pain, but also with increased disability, psychological symptoms, and reduced quality of life. There are various treatment options for CLBP, but no single therapy stands out as being the most effective. In the past 10 years, yoga interventions have been studied as a CLBP treatment approach. The objective of this paper is to review the current literature supporting the efficacy of yoga for CLBP.

Methods: A literature search through the beginning of 2015 was conducted in Pub Med for randomized control trials addressing treatment of CLBP with yoga.

Results: In this review we evaluate the use of yoga as a treatment for CLBP. Specifically we evaluate how yoga impacts physical functioning and disability, pain, and associated psychological symptoms. We also evaluate possible mediators of the effect of yoga and the safety of yoga.

Discussion: With few exceptions, previous studies and the recent randomized control trials (RCTs) indicate that yoga can reduce pain and disability, can be practiced safely, and is well received by participants. Some studies also indicate that yoga may improve psychological symptoms, but these effects are currently not as well established.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4878447/

 

Improve Oral Health with Yoga

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Is yoga the key to dental health? It may not fight cavities, but the ancient great exercise regimen can improve a person’s oral health in a number of other important areas. Most of the oral health benefits of yoga come from stress relief. Eliminating stress has benefits for areas of health throughout the body, but it is particularly important when it comes to dental well-being.” – Irene McKinney

 

If you asked most people what’s one of the most common health problems that people have, probably the last thing that they would come up with us oral health. Yet, about half of all American adults, around 65 million, have mild, moderate or severe periodontitis, the more advanced form of periodontal disease. In adults 65 and older, prevalence rates increase to over 70 percent.

 

“Periodontitis means “inflammation around the tooth” – it is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue and bone that supports the tooth. All periodontal diseases, including periodontitis, are infections which affect the periodontium. The periodontium are the tissues around a tooth, tissues that support the tooth. With periodontitis, the alveolar bone around the teeth is slowly and progressively lost. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, stick to the surface of the tooth and multiply – an overactive immune system reacts with inflammation.” These bacterial plaques are sticky, colorless membranes that develop over the surface of the teeth and are the most common cause of periodontal disease. If it is not treated periodontitis will eventually lead to tooth loss, and increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and other health problems.

 

Treatment for periodontitis is straightforward including professional plaque removal and general at home oral hygiene. If severe, surgical procedures are called for. But, like many infections, periodontitis is exacerbated by stress. So, practices like mindfulness and yoga training, that reduce stress, may well help with periodontitis. In addition, mindfulness practices have been found to reduce the inflammatory response which would in turn reduce the inflammation of the gums.  So, it would make sense to investigate the effects of yoga practice on periodontal disease.

 

In today’s Research News article “.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1255680397789217/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784068/

Katuri and colleagues compared patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis who practiced yoga for at least 5 years, to patients who demonstrated anxiety and depression, and those who neither practiced yoga or were anxious or depressed. They found that the yoga practitioners had less severe periodontitis as indicated by a plaque index and attachment level. In addition, the yoga practitioners had significantly lower plasma cortisol levels, an indicator of stress. Hence, the yoga practitioners were found to have less severe periodontal disease and less stress.

 

This study, however, simply compared groups who practiced yoga and didn’t. There could be systematic differences between the groups other than yoga practice that could be responsible for the results. For example, yoga practitioners may generally have healthier lifestyles including better diets and more rigorous home oral hygiene practices. It remains for future research to actively assign groups of patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis to practice yoga to observe the causal effects of yoga practice on the disease.

 

The results, however, make sense. Yoga practice by reducing the psychological and physical responses to stress can reduce inflammatory responses and improve periodontitis. These intriguing findings deserve to be followed-up with more rigorous studies to ascertain if you can improve oral health with yoga.

 

“Studies have shown that yoga practiced regularly can decrease blood pressure, reduce your heart rate, and lessen stress.  That is important to your oral health because stress diminishes resistance to infections including gum disease and abscesses, and can make you more likely to develop canker sores and cold sores. So don’t be surprised at your next dental visit when our hygienist tells you to brush, floss and sign up for a yoga class!” – Jill Smith

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Katuri, K. K., Dasari, A. B., Kurapati, S., Vinnakota, N. R., Bollepalli, A. C., & Dhulipalla, R. (2016). Association of yoga practice and serum cortisol levels in chronic periodontitis patients with stress-related anxiety and depression. Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community Dentistry, 6(1), 7–14. http://doi.org/10.4103/2231-0762.175404

 

Abstract

Aim:

Reducing the psychosocial stress by various methods can improve overall health, and yoga is now considered as an easily available alternative method. The present cross-sectional pilot study was conducted mainly to find the association of yoga practice with periodontal disease by measuring serum cortisol levels.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 70 subjects with age range of 35–60 years suffering with chronic periodontitis were divided into group I (with stress), group II (without stress), and group III (practicing yoga). Psychological evaluation was carried out using Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (ZSDS). Periodontal parameters like plaque index (PI), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) at 5–8 mm and >8 mm were recorded. Blood samples were collected and serum cortisol levels were measured.

Results:

Mean age, plaque scores, and number of teeth with PPD and CAL at 5–8 mm and >8 mm were similar in all the groups, except between group I and group III where a multiple comparison with Tukey’s post-hoc test showed significant difference in plaque index (P < 0.038) and the number of teeth with CAL 5–8 mm (P < 0.016). Serum cortisol levels and HAM-A scale and ZSDS scores showed highly significant value (P < 0.001) in group I subjects when compared with group II and group III subjects.

Conclusion:

Cross-sectional observation done among three groups showed that individuals practicing yoga regularly had low serum cortisol levels, HAM-A scale and ZSDS scores, and better periodontal health.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784068/

 

Improve Well-Being with Menstrual Disorder with Yoga Nidra

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“The ancient practice of yoga nidra, also known as yogic sleep, is a meditative practice that results in conscious deep sleep. Current research suggests that yoga nidra can help relieve menstrual problems, diabetes symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” – Elaine Gavalas

 

Menstrual disorders are associated with disruptive physical and/or emotional symptoms just before and during menstruation, including heavy bleeding, missed periods and unmanageable mood swings. Symptoms can include abnormal uterine bleeding, which may be abnormally heavy or absent or occurs between periods, painful menstrual periods, premenstrual syndrome, or premenstrual dysphonic disorder (depression). These disorders are all very common and most women experience some of these symptoms sometime during their premenopausal years, while around 20% experience them throughout their fertile years.

 

Yoga has documented benefits for the individual’s psychological and physical health and well-being. It has also been shown to improve menstrual problems. Yoga, however, consists of a number of components including, poses, breathing exercises, yoga nidra (meditation), concentration, and philosophy/ethics.  So, it is difficult to determine which facet or combination of facets of yoga are responsible for which benefit. Hence, it is important to begin to test each component in isolation to determine its effects.

 

In today’s Research News article “Psycho-Biological Changes with Add on Yoga Nidra in Patients with Menstrual Disorders: a Randomized Clinical Trial.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1255064667850790/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4794540/

Rani and colleagues randomly assigned women who displayed menstrual disorders for more than 6-months to either a yoga Nidra or treatment as usual group. Yoga nidra is generally practiced while lying on the back on a mat on the floor with the arms out at the sides and the palm facing up. This is the what’s known as the corpse pose in yoga. It is generally a deep guided meditation practice. It usually begins with a systematic body scan meditation and then moves into a deep meditative state. The most easily observable effect of the yoga nidra practice is the extremely deep relaxation of the nervous system and healing of the body by allowing it the rest and recharge it usually lacks in our all too busy lifestyles. Yoga nidra produces a state of deep relaxation and sedation without the individual actually going to sleep.

 

At baseline Rani and colleagues measured psychological general well-being, and a variety of hormone levels. The yoga nidra group then received 30-35-minute yoga nidra, 5 days per week for 3 months and practiced at home for the subsequent 3 months. Measurements were then repeated at the end of the 6-month program. Control participants received their normal medical treatments during the 6-month period. They found that the yoga Nidra group showed significant improvements in anxiety, depression, positive well-being, general health, and vitality while the control group did not. Similarly, they found that the yoga Nidra group had significant decreases in 4 hormone levels; thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin. Hence, yoga Nidra produced positive benefits for psychological well-being and also for endocrine (hormonal) function.

 

These are exciting findings. Yoga Nidra practice improved psychological well-being in women with menstrual disorder. Yoga practice and meditation practice have these same benefits for practitioners. But, it’s interesting that these psychological benefits can be produced by yoga nidra practice alone. The findings of decreased hormone levels are significant. Pituitary hormones, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormones, prolactin and thyroid hormones are very much involved in the menstrual cycle and are required for normal development of ova. Yoga Nidra practice may be helping with menstrual disorder by producing better regulation of these crucial hormones. Future research will be required to investigate this idea.

 

It is important to note that the control group did not receive any new active treatment. It is possible that the effects observed were not due to yoga Nidra, but to the expectations of the participants that the yoga nidra would improve their disorder. It will be important for future research to include and active or placebo control condition.

 

Regardless, the results suggest that well-being can be improved in women with menstrual disorder with yoga nidra.

 

“Yoga nidra for me is like a ‘super nap’ that recharges me in no time. It is a complete rejuvenation package – a must to relieve ourselves of daily stress in today’s busy world.” – Pritika Nair

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Rani, K., Tiwari, S. C., Kumar, S., Singh, U., Prakash, J., & Srivastava, N. (2016). Psycho-Biological Changes with Add on Yoga Nidra in Patients with Menstrual Disorders: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Caring Sciences,5(1), 1–9. http://doi.org/10.15171/jcs.2016.001

 

Abstract

Introduction: Menstrual disorders are common problems among women in the reproductive age group. Yuga interventions may decrease the physical and psychological problems related to menstrual disorders. The present study was aimed to assess the effect of Yoga Nidra on psychological problems in patients with menstrual disorders.

Methods: A total number of 100 women recruited from the department of obstetrics and gynecology and were then randomly allocated into two groups: a) intervention received yogic intervention and medication for 6 month, and b) control group received no yogic intervention and they only received prescribed medication). Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) and hormonal profile were assessed at the time of before and after six months on both groups.

Results: The mean score of anxiety, depression, positive well-being, general health, and vitality scores, as well as hormonal levels, in posttest were significantly different in intervention group as compared with pretest. But there was no significant difference in control group.

Conclusion: Yoga Nidra can be a successful therapy to overcome the psychiatric morbidity associated with menstrual irregularities. Therefore, Yogic relaxation training (Yoga Nidra) could be prescribed as an adjunct to conventional drug therapy for menstrual dysfunction.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4794540/

 

Increase Hemispheric Blood Oxygenation with Yogic Nostril Breathing

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Breathing in through your left nostril will access the right “feeling” hemisphere of your brain, and breathing in through your right nostril, will access the left “thinking” hemisphere of your brain.  Consciously alternating your breath between either nostril will allow you to activate and access your whole brain.” – Carole Bourne

 

Mindfulness practices have been shown to alter the brain, including short-term changes in activity and longer-term changes in the size and connectivity of brain areas and the chemistry of the nervous system. It is thought that many of the beneficial effects of mindfulness practices are mediated by these changes in the nervous system. Yoga practice is a mindfulness technique that has documented benefits for the individual’s psychological and physical health and well-being. It has also been shown to produce short- and long-term changes in the brain. It is thus likely that yoga practice also produces its beneficial effects by altering the brain.

 

Yoga consists of a number of components including, poses, breathing exercises, meditation, concentration, and philosophy/ethics.  So, it is difficult to determine which facet or combination of facets of yoga are responsible for which benefit. Hence, it is important to begin to test each component in isolation to determine its effects. In a previously reviewed study the effects of yogic breathing techniques, specifically, left or right or alternating nostril breathing, it was found that these forms of breathing produce improvements in spatial and verbal memory ability. (LINK to Garg et al. study) These effects of left or right nostril breathing are thought to be produced by changing the oxygen flows to the individual neural hemispheres.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effect of uninostril yoga breathing on brain hemodynamics: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1250194438337813/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728953/

Singh and colleagues examine the effects of left or right nostril breathing on oxygen and blood volume flows to the left and right hemispheres. They measured blood volume and oxygen levels in experienced yoga practitioners using a sophisticated optical imaging technique called Functional near-infrared spectroscopy. They were measured on separate days for the effects of left nostril, right nostril, or breath awareness (control condition) on hemispheric blood flows.

 

They found that with right nostril breathing there was an increase in blood oxygen and blood volume to the left prefrontal cortex while left nostril breathing produced an increase in blood oxygen and blood volume to the right prefrontal cortex. Hence, nostril breathing produces increased flow and oxygenation to the contralateral hemisphere. This would suggest that right nostril breathing would produce increments in left hemisphere functions such as verbal, mathematical, or logical functions, while left nostril breathing would produce increases in right hemisphere functions such as spatial, emotional, or artistic functions. It will be up to future research to test this conjecture.

 

The results, though, do demonstrate that yogic nostril breathing differentially effects blood flows and oxygenation to the contralateral hemisphere. This provides an underlying mechanism for the effects of yogic nostril breathing.

 

So, increase hemispheric blood oxygenation with yogic nostril breathing.

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

“Breathing consciously is a powerful act. The process of breathing sits directly at the interface of our voluntary nervous system (aspects of our physiology under our conscious control) and our autonomic nervous system (aspects generally not under conscious control). It’s a direct path for us to communicate quickly to the brain via what we do with our body.” – Paula Watkins

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Singh, K., Bhargav, H., & Srinivasan, T. (2016). Effect of uninostril yoga breathing on brain hemodynamics: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. International Journal of Yoga, 9(1), 12–19. http://doi.org/10.4103/0973-6131.171711

 

Abstract

Objectives: To measure the effect of the right and left nostril yoga breathing on frontal hemodynamic responses in 32 right handed healthy male subjects within the age range of 18–35 years (23.75 ± 4.14 years).

Materials and Methods: Each subject practiced right nostril yoga breathing (RNYB), left nostril yoga breathing (LNYB) or breath awareness (BA) (as control) for 10 min at the same time of the day for three consecutive days, respectively. The sequence of intervention was assigned randomly. The frontal hemodynamic response in terms of changes in the oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb), deoxygenated hemoglobin (deoxyHb), and total hemoglobin (totalHb or blood volume) concentration was tapped for 5 min before (pre) and 10 min during the breathing practices using a 16 channel functional near-infrared system (FNIR100-ACK-W, BIOPAC Systems, Inc., U.S.A.). Average of the eight channels on each side (right and left frontals) was obtained for the two sessions (pre and during). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 10.0 through paired and independent samples t-test.

Results: Within group comparison showed that during RNYB, oxyHb levels increased significantly in the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) as compared to the baseline (P = 0.026). LNYB showed a trend towards significance for reduction in oxyHb in the right hemisphere (P = 0.057). Whereas BA caused significant reduction in deoxyHb (P = 0.023) in the left hemisphere. Between groups comparison revealed that oxyHb and blood volume in the left PFC increased significantly during RNYB as compared to BA (oxyHb: P =0.012; TotalHb: P =0.017) and LNYB (oxyHb: P =0.024; totalHb: P =0.034).

Conclusion: RNYB increased oxygenation and blood volume in the left PFC as compared to BA and LNYB. This supports the relationship between nasal cycle and ultradian rhythm of cerebral dominance and suggests a possible application of uninostril yoga breathing in the management of psychopathological states which show lateralized cerebral dysfunctions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728953/

 

Improve Memory with Yoga Nostril Breathing Techniques

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Improve Memory with Yoga Nostril Breathing Techniques

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.” – Sanskrit Proverb

 

Yoga practice is becoming increasingly popular in the west, for good reason. It has documented benefits for the individual’s psychological and physical health and well-being. It has also been shown to have cognitive benefits, improving memory. Yoga, however, consists of a number of components including, poses, breathing exercises, meditation, concentration, and philosophy/ethics.  So, it is difficult to determine which facet or combination of facets of yoga are responsible for which benefit. Hence, it is important to begin to test each component in isolation to determine its effects.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effect of Left, Right and Alternate Nostril Breathing on Verbal and Spatial Memory.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1243792838977973/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800515/

Garg and colleagues test the effects of yogic breathing, specifically, left or right or alternating nostril breathing on memory ability. They randomly assigned adult female participants to three groups, right nostril breathing, left nostril breathing, or alternating nostril breathing. They practiced their respective breathing technique for 45 minutes per day for one week. Their verbal and spatial memory ability was then tested for 3 consecutive days before and after yogic nostril breathing.

 

They found that both verbal and spatial memory scores were improved by all three forms of breathing, but left nostril breathing produced superior verbal memory scores. There are no data to provide an explanation for the mechanism by which these breathing techniques improve memory. It is possible that they improve oxygenation of the hemispheres. Since the left hemisphere is generally involved in verbal ability, increasing oxygen flow to the left hemisphere may specifically improve verbal memory. It should be mentioned that there were no control conditions conducted. It is possible that the results were produced not by the breathing technique but by subject expectancy (placebo) effects or experimenter bias. It is also possible that nostril breathing is generally activating and this improves memory scores. Had a normal breathing control condition been conducted, this alternative hypothesis could have been addressed.

 

Nevertheless, improve memory with yoga nostril breathing techniques.

 

“This breathing exercise helps sharpen your concentration and mental clarity when your mind is dull. Alternate nostril breathing provides equal oxygen amounts to both sides of your brain. It is a great exercise to do before an important exam or interview.” – Ripa Ajmera

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Garg, R., Malhotra, V., Tripathi, Y., & Agarawal, R. (2016). Effect of Left, Right and Alternate Nostril Breathing on Verbal and Spatial Memory. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research : JCDR, 10(2), CC01–CC03. http://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2016/12361.7197

 

Abstract

Introduction: Yoga has beneficial effects on memory. In females, left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for verbal memory and right hemisphere is responsible for the spatial memory, while the opposite is true for males.

Aim: Aim of the present was to study the effect of unilateral right nostril breathing, left nostril breathing and alternate nostril breathing on verbal and spatial memory scores.

Materials and Methods: A total of 51 female subjects (age 18-25 years, mean±SD =21.71±3.11) were taken and divided into three groups (n=17). Each group was imparted one of the three different types of nostril breathing practices such as Right Nostril Breathing (RNB), Left Nostril Breathing (LNB) and Alternate Nostril Breathing (ANB) for 1 week for 45 minutes daily. Subjects were given the memory test, before and after 45 minutes of intervention for three consecutive days. Memory tests were performed by using Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scale.

Statistical Analysis: Results were analysed by ANOVA with SPSS version 17.0.

Results: Results showed that there was increase in recall of digit span-forward, digit-span backward, associate learning and spatial memory scores with RNB, LNB and ANB, which were statistically highly significant(p<0.005).

Conclusion: Inclusion of nostril breathing in exercise regimen may be helpful in improving recall of memory.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800515/

 

Yoga has Gone Mainstream in Schools

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“once children are in a more calm state, they can remember or be more mindful of actions, thoughts, and words from the heart — a more helpful behavior as opposed to self-centeredness.” – Kelly Wood

 

Yoga practice has been shown to have a large number of beneficial effects on the psychological, emotional, and physical health of the individual and is helpful in the treatment of mental and physical illness. As a result, it has been adopted widely in western society. As I quipped to my spouse, “you know yoga has gone mainstream, when yoga pants have become a fashion statement!” The acceptance of yoga practice has spread from the home and yoga studios to its application with children in schools.

 

Studies of these school programs have found that yoga practice produces a wide variety of positive psychosocial and physical benefits. These include improved mood state, self-control, aggression and social problems, self-regulation, emotion regulation, feelings of happiness and relaxation, self-esteem, social and physical well-being, self-concept, tolerance, nonviolence, truthfulness, overall, general, and social self-esteem, positive health, self-adjustment, and working-memory capacity, ability to focus, control behavior under stress, greater kinesthetic awareness, stress reduction and management, and social cohesion, focus, perseverance, and positive relationships. They have also shown that the yoga practice produces lower levels of anxiety, depression, general distress, physical arousal, and hostility, rumination, and intrusive thoughts, and alcohol use.

 

Teachers also note improvements in their students following yoga practice. These include improved classroom behavior and social–emotional skills, concentration, mood, ability to function under pressure, social skills, and attention and lower levels of. Hyperactivity and performance impairment. In addition, school records, academic tests, and physiological measures have shown that yoga practice produces improvements in student grades and academic performance, cortisol concentrations, micronutrient absorption, flexibility, grip strength, abdominal strength, respiratory muscle strength, heart rate variability, and stress reactivity.

 

These findings are remarkable and have resulted in the spread of yoga programs to schools throughout the country. In today’s Research News article “School-based Yoga Programs in the United States: A Survey” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1243070949050162/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4831047/

Butzer and her colleagues attempted to assess just how widespread has been the adoption of yoga programs in schools and what are the characteristics of these programs. They performed a web search to identify organizations who provide school based yoga programs and identified 36 such organizations. They then surveyed these programs to determine the number of schools served and the characteristics of the programs.

 

They found widespread adoption of yoga programs and could identify 940 schools across the U.S. offering such programs. There were 5400 trained instructors, although the training varied tremendously. The programs were generally new, having come into existence only 5 to 10 years ago. The majority of the programs spanned pre-school to the 12th grade while some focused on grammar school. Where the yoga practice occurred varied with some programs performing yoga in small pieces throughout the day in the classrooms while others offered formal yoga practice intensively in a gym during defined periods. The programs typically “incorporated the 4 basic elements of yoga practice into their curriculums, including physical postures, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and mindfulness and meditation practices” and “elements, such as ethics, philosophy, or psychology lessons.” All of the programs stressed that the programs were secular and nonreligious and taught universal values, which they referred to as life skills.

 

These results corroborate the impression that adoption of yoga in schools is recent, widespread, and varied. The variations in the programs may actually be an advantage as comparisons between the effectiveness of these different programs may yield important information as to what is the most effective way to construct yoga programs in schools. Some standardization may be warranted sometime in the future, but for now, the variations in programs may be very useful.

 

It is encouraging that yoga has gone mainstream in schools as research indicates that it has very beneficial effects on the children.

 

“Two years before the end of my 36-year career as an educator, I started practicing yoga and sharing it with my fourth-grade class. In those two years, I saw the profound effects of yoga on my students’ learning, the emotional climate of my classroom, my interactions with students, my satisfaction with teaching, and my own health and well-being.” – Jane Rosen

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

 

Study Summary

Butzer, B., Ebert, M., Telles, S., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2015). School-based Yoga Programs in the United States: A Survey. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine,29(4), 18–26.

 

Abstract

Context: Substantial interest has begun to emerge around the implementation of yoga interventions in schools. Researchers have found that yoga practices may enhance skills such as self-regulation and prosocial behavior, and lead to improvements in students’ performance. These researchers, therefore, have proposed that contemplative practices have the potential to play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of US public education.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to provide a summary and comparison of school-based yoga programs in the United States.

Design: Online, listserv, and database searches were conducted to identify programs, and information was collected regarding each program’s scope of work, curriculum characteristics, teacher-certification and training requirements, implementation models, modes of operation, and geographical regions.

Setting: The online, listserv, and database searches took place in Boston, MA, USA, and New Haven, CT, USA.

Results: Thirty-six programs were identified that offer yoga in more than 940 schools across the United States, and more than 5400 instructors have been trained by these programs to offer yoga in educational settings. Despite some variability in the exact mode of implementation, training requirements, locations served, and grades covered, the majority of the programs share a common goal of teaching 4 basic elements of yoga: (1) physical postures, (2) breathing exercises, (3) relaxation techniques, and (4) mindfulness and meditation practices. The programs also teach a variety of additional educational, social-emotional, and didactic techniques to enhance students’ mental and physical health and behavior.

Conclusions: The fact that the present study was able to find a relatively large number of formal, school-based yoga programs currently being implemented in the United States suggests that the programs may be acceptable and feasible to implement. The results also suggest that the popularity of school-based yoga programs may continue to grow.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4831047/